2025/02/05 by Yu Han, Songmei Hu, Ke Liu +42 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Human-Animal Interaction Studies #Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1101/2025.01.31.635809
openalex publication_date 2025/02/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract The earliest cats in human settlements in China were not domestic cats ( Felis catus ), but native leopard cats ( Prionailurus bengalensis ). To trace when and how domestic cats arrived in East Asia, we analyzed 22 feline bones from 14 sites across China spanning 5,000 years. Nuclear and mitochondrial genomes revealed that leopard cats began occupying anthropogenic scenes around 5,400 years ago and last appeared in 150 CE. Following several centuries’ gap of archeological feline remains, the first known domestic cat (706–883 CE) in China was identified in Shaanxi during the Tang Dynasty. Genomic analysis suggested a white or partially white coat and a link to a contemporaneous domestic cat from Kazakhstan, indicating a likely dispersal route via the Silk Road. The two felids once independently occupied ancient anthropogenic environments in China but followed divergent paths and reached different destinations in human-animal interactions.